Page 42 of Pippin & Nacho

He screamed before I was lifted off the ground again as I squirmed and fought them off. “Let me fucking go! I’ll kill you all, you motherfuckers!”

Suddenly, it was mayhem. For the first time, Sam jumped over the counter of the bar and lunged at the guy who I assumed had punched me. Ajax had finally made an appearance, along with Stix and Stone.

The bar turned into a melee of chaos at the bar, punching, kicking, clawing, biting, and swearing. Stone and Ajax were the biggest and ripped the assholes off the rest of us. That was when I noticed the band had stopped playing, and the crowd was watching this shitshow in excitement with bloodlust in their eyes.

Someone’s fist swung and got me in the eye. I went down, blacking out for a second, but rage was my friend. I popped up and jumped on the asshole’s back again, punching him in the throat.

“Enough!” It was Alpha’s voice that got everyone to freeze. He stood there with anger on his face and carrying a gun casually at his side. “What the fuck is going on in my goddamn bar?!”

I pointed to one of the guys messing with Sam. “This prick grabbed Sam by his shirt and yelled at him when his friend there ripped his earbud out and smashed it on the counter.”

The dick who had grabbed Sam pointed at him. “I’d been trying to order, but he’s a fucking moron! He kept smiling and shaking his head. I just wanted a goddamn beer, and he’s being a dick!”

I wiped the stinging blood dripping from my eye and glanced at Sam, who was now hugging himself and in a full-blown panic.

Fuck.

I rushed over to Sam and held him. “It’s okay.”

“I can’t breathe… breathe. Need… air…”

My hands gripped his face and forced him to look at me. “Breathe through your nose four times.”

“I can’t…”

“You can.”

Sam’s green eyes focused on me, and even through his panic, he held trust there. He tried to breathe through his nose several times, copying me.

“Hold your breath until I count to seven. One… two…” When I reached seven, he exhaled. “Good, now blow out hard several times.”

We repeated the process several times before he finally calmed down. His eyes watered, and he gripped my forearms while my hands were still holding his face. “I’m so sorry. I just…”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not your fault.”

“So you pricks just thought it would be okay to attack one of my employees because he wasn’t moving fast enough for you? Do I have that right?” Alpha demanded, looking imposing with his tattooed muscular arms and the gun at his side.

The assholes folded their meaty arms over their chests and shrugged. They had no fucking excuse for how they treated my Sam.

“You’re banned from this bar permanently. If you’re ever unsatisfied with any sort of service, you look for help like a fucking adult. You do not attack my employees. Is that fucking understood?”

“Fuck you, man!” One of them spat. “This bar sucks, anyway. We’re going to sue your ass for assault.”

“Try it. I have cameras that caught the entire thing. My lawyers will be sure to know who started it, and my employees have a right to defend themselves. Now get the fuck out.”

When they didn’t move fast enough, Alpha grabbed the closest one by his shirt and dragged him toward the front door. “Ajax! Stone! Escort the other two gentlemen out, if you would. The rest of you! Back to work!”

As the dickheads were led out, I held Sam close to me. “Are you okay, baby?”

He nodded. “I’m sorry about the earbud.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“You always say that!” He tried to push away from me, but I held him tighter. “It’s always my fault! I make everyone angry, and I always fucking mess everything up!”

“No, you don’t.”

I stood and helped him up. “Come on. Let’s get some air.”

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